RAB
by xxandigee
Summary: The life of Regulus Arcturus Black, from age eight to his death at eighteen. How did one of the most enigmatic characters discover about Voldemort's horcruxes, and why did he decide to turn against The Dark Lord and destroy the one horcrux he knew about?
1. Age 8 May twenty ninth, 1969

May twenty-ninth, 1969

Regulus pushed himself further back against the wooden floor, a wary smile on his pale features. He was more or less hidden from where he sat in the coat closet near the front door of number 12, Grimmauld Place, but wanted to be sure that his feet couldn't be seen from the slight gap between the bottom of the door and the floor. So he pulled his legs in closer to his body, his sneakered feet growing further from the sliver of light he could catch coming in from the doorjamb.

"**I'm gonna find you, you bugger!"**

Regulus laughed, slapping a hand over his mouth to stifle the noise. He could hear Sirius padding around the hallway upstairs; it was only a few moments before he heard his brother's heavy steps coming down the carpeted staircase. Anxious, he curled up even tighter, ducking his head behind a long coat his father had hanging in the closet.

The door was thrown open, and the small coat closet exploded in a rush of light from the hall. Sirius was silhouetted against the incoming light, so Regulus couldn't see the content grin on his brother's face.

"**I **_**told**_** you I'd find you," **Sirius said proudly, crossing his arms over his chest. Beaming, eight-year-old Regulus bounded to his feet and dashed out of the closet, giggling as his brother heaved a belabored sigh before chasing after him. He lead Sirius up the stairs and through the door of Sirius's bedroom, then flopped on his brother's bed.

"**You promised for my birthday that you'd let me ride on your broomstick," **Regulus reminded his brother, turning over on the bed to get a better look at him. But Sirius didn't get a chance to answer, for just then the air was wrought by a shrill cry:

"**Sirius Orion Black!"**

Both brothers snapped to attention. It hadn't been his own name that had been called, but Regulus reacted just the same. When Walburga had reason to lecture on boy, as it would seem she would right then, she insisted that the other be present to listen, so that maybe they wouldn't make the same mistake. Usually, Sirius was the one getting yelled at and Regulus was the one made to stand quietly on the sidelines and listen.

Sirius heaved a sigh. He had been about to sit on the bed himself, but instead walked back to the door and trudged slowly and heavily back down the stairs, Regulus on his tail. the pair tromped down the stairs and into the living room, where Mrs. Walburga Black was standing imposingly before the couch, her eyes narrowed into a hard glare.

"**A muggle girl approached me outside the house, asking for you, Sirius," **Walburga hissed angrily. **"Now tell me, what would a **_**muggle**_** want with you?"**

12 Grimmauld Place was enchanted so that no muggle could see it; to them, by some laughable accident, the houses skipped from eleven to thirteen, twelve having been seemingly forgotten. Sirius had been playing with the girl the day before at the park - he did this perhaps more often than he should. He had said where he lived without thinking much of it. Now the poor girl had come looking to play with him again, only to find that the house he had claimed to live in didn't exist!

Sirius shrugged nonchalantly, not seeming to give much thought at all to the matter. **"I dunno,"** he answered casually, turning to leave.

Walburga cried after him, demanding that he stay. Sirius turned back to face his mother rather begrudgingly. Walburga went on for near an hour, detailing to her young, impressionable sons the virtues of being a pureblood, and the responsibilities that came with such an honor. Regulus nearly fell asleep halfway through the tirade, which Walburga luckily did not pick up on.

When she had finished, Sirius sarcastically asked if he could be excused, then stomped off to his room. Regulus sighed, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans and slipping out of the room and into the kitchen. He could hear the front door slam as his father Orion walked into the house. He could hear Orion walk into the adjacent room, the same one in which Walburga had settled, muttering to herself unhappily. He assumed Orion would be reading the paper and ignoring his mother, as ever. He could hear Sirius blasting his muggle radio; the bass shook the whole house.

Kreacher, the Black family house elf, jumped when Regulus entered the kitchen, thrusting himself between Regulus and the table and clambering on top of chair, trying to hide whatever was on top of it from the young boy.

"**Master Regulus! Dinner is not yet ready, sir!"** the house elf exclaimed, shifting his position every few moments to keep Regulus's view blocked, even as the boy squirmed around, trying to get a look at whatever was on the table.

He grinned. **"What d'you have there, Kreacher?"** he asked, clambering on to his tiptoes to try and peer over the creature's head. After a few tries, he managed to catch a glimpse of a slightly misshapen cake sitting on a large silver platter. It was covered in sloppy white frosting, with the words _'Happy Birthday, Master Regulus!'_ written across it in blue frosting.

Regulus giggled, clearly pleased. **"Thanks, Kreacher! Wanna help me eat it?" **he asked, as Kreacher conceded and went to get forks. Regulus hummed the happy birthday song under his breath as he took a seat at the large wooden table, taking the fork Kreacher offered him and digging right into the cake where it sat.


	2. Age 10 September second, 1981

September second, 1981

Sirius had been quite pleased with himself ever since the owl had shown up at 12 Grimmauld Place with a letter from Hogwarts addressed to him. He was probably counting the days before he could leave, Regulus thought bitterly, laying on his bed. He hated the idea of Sirius leaving him behind to deal with his parents all on his own, though it was of course a necessary evil. All he could think about now was a year from now, when he would be getting his own letter. And Merlin, he could not wait.

He had left the day before. Orion had brought him to Diagon Alley the week before to get his things, and had let Regulus tag along. It hadn't been the most fun experience, maybe because Regulus had been preoccupied by the thought that Sirius would be going off without him. Sirius was still heady, high off of the rush his letter had brought and the freedom it promised.

They had returned home, and Sirius had shot like a bullet to his room, where he spent most of the following week holed up, packing. Orion took him to the train station earlier than necessary. So early, in fact, that Regulus was still asleep. No one thought to wake him up to say goodbye.

Regulus had woken up that morning to glaring sunlight through his window. He looked at the clock - it was late. He ran downstairs, where his mother was sitting on the couch reading a book. **"Where's Sirius?"** he demanded, looking around for any sight of his brother or father. **"Where's dad?"**

"**They already left,"** she said, waving him off so that she could finish her book. Frowning, Regulus wandered into the kitchen, where Kreacher was busy getting their lunch ready. How could Sirius leave without saying goodbye to him? Maybe they had just been in a rush; Regulus was sure he'd get a letter explaining everything soon enough.

------

It had been almost two weeks now since Sirius had left, and still no word from him. Regulus was sitting in the living room with his parents, the radio on. he was more concerned with the book he had in his hands than the radio, but his parents were fully immersed. So much so, that the sound of an owl's beak tapping on the glass of a window in the kitchen entirely escaped their notice.

Excited, sure it was a note from Sirius for him, Regulus jumped off the couch, dropped his book on the floor and ran into the kitchen. His parents remained stoically where they sat. Regulus opened the window, letting the small tabby owl hop down from the ledge on to the kitchen counter. He untied the note from its leg; the owl flew off with a content hoot.

Regulus' face faded as he unrolled the note. he knew Sirius' messy scrawl well, and he was greeted instead by a neat script. It was addressed to his mother, so with a sigh he rolled the note back up and brought it to Walburga. She asked him to turn off the radio while she read it, and he obliged, then picking his book carefully off of the floor and sitting back down.

It was after her fit, somewhere between a panic attack and a hissy fit, that Regulus found out what had happened. She ordered Kreacher to bring her water before she could talk again; Orion snatched the letter out of her hands. It was from one of her friends, who had a child that started at Hogwarts this year with Sirius. The writer first went on about how happy she was that her own son had been sorted into Slytherin, then broke the news that Sirius hadn't been. He was a Gryffindor.

For a moment, Regulus sat thoughtfully. If Sirius could be a Gryffindor, then they simply could not be as awful as his parents claimed they were. If Sirius was a Gryffindor, then he wanted to be one, too.

But then he looked back at his parents, who were now both throwing similar fits, Orion having stormed out of the room to his office and Walburga loudly expressing her grief at what a failure her first born son was turning out to be. his parents maybe weren't the best. They weren't especially loving or affectionate. Their views and opinions could be stifling. But they were his parents, and he cared about them. They raised him, fed him, gave him everything he ever needed. And all they asked in return was that he be a Slytherin, become a Death Eater, and bring their family a bit of glory. And of course, provide them with some grandchildren to keep the Black family line afloat. Was that really so much of them to ask?

His resolve was strengthened. As much as he looked up to his brother, he knew that Sirius had messed up this time. And he knew that he, Regulus, would not make the same mistake that his brother had. He wouldn't disappoint his parents like Sirius had; he would be the good son that he was supposed to be, and he would make his family proud. Because if he didn't, who would?


End file.
